“I guess she’ll sleep until one or two now. I like having her sleep six hours between feedings,” Isabella said.
“Yeah. ’Cause I can’t go that long without eating.”
“Go turn on the basketball game and I’ll cut our pieces of cake,” Isabella told him. They’d decided to have their dessert later.
“Good. I was hoping you’d take the hint.” He settled on the sofa, but he soon realized they’d need a blanket to keep warm. He pulled one from the hall closet and spread it over himself, leaving plenty of room for Isabella.
Soon they were both snuggled under the blanket, their body warmth keeping each other warm. Isabella ate her cake, but she didn’t have much interest in basketball. Soon she put her head on Russ’s shoulder and fell asleep. It had been a long day.
Russ settled back in the corner of the sofa and drew Isabella between his legs, her back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her. He was more content than he’d been in a long time.
They both slept until Angel woke up at almost two o’clock.
“I’ll get her,” Isabella mumbled, still half-asleep.
“I’ll fix the bottle,” Russ called after her, thinking how content he’d been with Isabella in his arms, how good it had felt. How right. He thought he’d never love again. But Isabella was changing his mind. The thought scared him, but he already knew she was an important part of his life. He loved Isabella.
When Isabella came back to the living room, Angel in her arms, Russ was waiting with the bottle, having warmed it in the microwave. He settled on the sofa again and wrapped the blanket around all three of them.
“I didn’t intend to spend the night on the sofa,” she said. Then she gave a gigantic yawn.
“Don’t do that. You’ll start me yawning.”
“Who won the basketball game? Your team?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I fell asleep before it ended.”
She chuckled, which caused the baby to fuss. “Behave yourself, Angel.”
“She is, Mommy. She’s perfect.”
Isabella chuckled again, a sound Russ loved. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on you or you’ll spoil her.”
“Yeah. But that’s what daddies are for.”
Which unfortunately reminded Isabella that her father couldn’t be included in that group.
Russ put his arm around her. “Don’t think about him.”
“You’re right. I won’t.”
When Angel had been burped, Russ offered to carry her to her bed.
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do with our bed.” Those last two words struck her as extremely intimate. Nonsense, she told herself. They were sharing a bed, but that was all.
She spread a soft blanket on the mattress, then added several more for covers. She put the two king-size pillows each in its place, leaving space between them.
Russ came in as she finished. “That looks good. I got some flannel pajamas for Christmas. Why don’t you take the top and I’ll take the bottoms?”
Without waiting for her agreement, he tossed the long top to her and went into the bathroom. She stared at the blue top. It would come to her knees. Okay, she’d wear it tonight. The nightgown she’d worn at the ranch needed to be washed.
Russ opened the door and came out, his chest bare. “You’re turn.”
“You need to find a T-shirt. You shouldn’t sleep with your chest bare in this weather. You’ll catch a chill.” She hurried past him, not waiting for his agreement.
After she’d disappeared, he rummaged in a drawer and found a T-shirt. He pulled it over his head. He had no intention of telling her to add clothes, however. He figured he could keep her warm. Not what he should be thinking. But he’d enjoyed their time on the sofa.
When Isabella came out of the bathroom, he was already under the covers, facing away from her. She turned out the light and slowly approached the bed, having misgivings now. They hadn’t actually shared a bed last night, as she’d initially thought. He’d never made it to bed. She lifted the covers and waited, but he didn’t move. Could he already be asleep?
She got in bed with as little disruption as possible. She felt the heat of his body, as she had on the sofa. He stayed in place and she turned her back to him and settled in. She was ready for some sleep.
It didn’t take long for the softness of the bed and the warmth to tempt her to relax and sink back into sleep. Just as she was losing consciousness, she felt Russ move. Next thing she knew, he was drawing her against him, his arms circling her. She was going to protest, but she forgot why. She was way too comfortable to do so.
WHEN HE AWOKE early the next morning, Russ didn’t move at first. He was too comfortable. Isabella smelled good and warmed him from his head to his toes.
About the only thing that could lure him out of bed would be a pot of coffee, but he remembered they only had instant. He’d take Izzy and Angel to the café for breakfast. He liked showing off his little family. That would give them a good start to the day.
He slid out of bed and took a shower. He pulled on old jeans and a flannel shirt he’d gotten for Christmas. It was only eight o’clock. Did he dare wake Isabella? She could use the extra sleep. Then he remembered she’d been asleep by eight the night before. Twelve hours should be enough.
He sat down on her side of the bed as he pulled on clean socks. “Izzy?” he said softly. “I’m going to the café for breakfast. Why don’t you and Angel come, too?”
She opened one eye in surprise. Then she closed it again. He waited and sure enough, the eye popped open again, wider this time. “What time is it?”
“It’s a little after eight. But that’s almost twelve hours of sleep you’ve had. Are you still tired?”
“No,” she said slowly, drawing out the one syllable. “I don’t think so.”
“Will we wake Angel if we take her with us?”
“I hope not, because I refuse to leave her here alone,” Isabella said, but she was smiling.
“Good. Want a shower before we go? I can wait that long if you hurry.”
She pushed back the covers, laughing, until she realized the pajama top wasn’t around her thighs but had climbed to her waist, leaving her pink panties visible. She yanked the covers back up. “Why don’t you go make a bottle for Angel just in case she wakes up? We want to be prepared.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, and left the room, a big grin on his face. He fixed the bottle and waited. Then he decided to change Angel’s diaper. She fussed a little, but he got her back to sleep.
By then, Isabella reappeared in the skirt and blouse she’d worn the day before. Her hair was pulled back with a matching scarf tied around it, but a few curls escaped. She looked wonderful.
“You look great, Izzy. And I’m starving. Let’s go.”
“I think I should change Angel now.”
“I just did. She’s gone back to sleep like a good girl. I put the bottle in the diaper bag and some extra diapers. Okay?”
“Definitely okay. You make a wonderful mom.”
“Dad. I’m the dad, remember?” he teased.
“I remember. I was very lucky to run across you in that snowstorm.”
“I think we were both lucky. What are you going to order for breakfast?”
“What do they do best?”
“Their pancakes are hard to beat. The cinnamon buns are famous. And they make great omelettes. The Denver omelette is their specialty. Casey, my little brother, loves their French toast.”
“My, they have a wide menu.”
“They need one. They’re the only place in town for breakfast,” he said.
They were glad to get out of the bitter cold and into the café. “I don’t remember it being that cold last night,” Isabella said. She breathed the warm fragrant air inside.
“It wasn’t. Must have been a temperature drop overnight.” He nodded to the waitress who then showed them to a booth. Isabella slid in the far side and reached for the baby in her carrier, which
Russ had brought in.
“Let’s put her over here,” Russ suggested. “This carrier takes up a lot of space. I’ll sit with you.”
Isabella started to protest, but Russ was already seated.
“That way we can talk without disturbing Angel, too,” he said.
The waitress handed them menus and turned away to escort another couple, who’d just entered, to seats.
“Oh, look, it’s Sarah and Nick.” Isabella waved to them and the pair approached.
“We were going to ask to join you, but I see Angel has this side full,” Nick said, nodding to them.
“We can pull up a chair and put her carrier in it,” Isabella said. “Then you can sit across from us. We’d love to have you join us.”
“Did you go back to the apartment?” Sarah asked as Nick fetched another chair. “We saw lights last night and hoped it was you and not some mischief maker.”
Nick moved the carrier and Isabella didn’t answer until she was assured her baby was settled. “Yes. It’s not too crowded. But we don’t have any groceries yet. I’ll have to do some grocery shopping today, among shopping for other things.”
“Me, too,” Sarah said. “I’m looking forward to our shopping today. Will you be ready to start when we’ve finished breakfast?”
“Won’t it be too early for the stores to be open?” Isabella asked, looking at her watch.
“That’s the joy of shopping with the owner. I have a key.”
“We can do that?” Isabella asked, surprised laughter in her voice.
“You bet we can.”
Breakfast was thoroughly enjoyable. Isabella forgot the reason she needed to buy more clothes or why they were in the cramped apartment. She and Sarah talked about pregnancy and Jennifer’s experience with twins. The guys joined in occasionally and had other conversation at times.
“What a nice way to start the day,” Isabella exclaimed when they’d finished.
“It was, wasn’t it? And we don’t have to do the dishes,” Sarah added with a big grin.
“And now we get to shop all day. Maybe I should wake Angel and give her her bottle now,” Isabella debated, a frown on her face.
Russ leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “Nope. I’m taking Angel until after lunch. When she wakes up, I’ll feed her and put her back to bed.”
“But you said you have to work.”
“I do, but Angel can come to work with me. Bill’s a grandfather, Tori’s a mother. They won’t be shocked.”
“Are you sure, Russ? I mean, I can take her with me. She’s not that much trouble, though it would be nice…”
“I’m sure. You two go ahead and scoot out. Nick and I’ll have another coffee before we pay the bill.”
Nick smiled, but his brow was furrowed. “Before you go, I have to bring up one unpleasant thing, Izzy. I had a call from your father. He wanted to know about your great-aunt’s estate. I told him everything went to you.”
“And he wasn’t overjoyed, I’m sure,” she said dryly.
Nick shook his head. “He told me you should forward to him the power of attorney for voting the stock right away. I told him I’d talk to you.”
“I’m not giving him the power of attorney, as you know. Thanks for talking to him, Nick. It’s more than I want to do. Ready, Sarah?” Isabella asked as she motioned for Russ to let her out of the booth. The two women hurried out the café, ready to start their shopping.
Nick waited until the door closed behind them before he spoke. “I think we should discuss some problems before I broach them to Isabella.”
“Sure,” Russ said, nodding expectantly. “What do we have to look forward to?”
Chapter Fifteen
“It’s not that bad,” Nick said, “but the sheriff called me this morning. He called the New York Police Department this morning to find out if Paloni has a record. He got no help from them since he has no hard evidence on Paloni.”
“I want to talk to Tori about unloading that stock as quickly as possible. I don’t want Izzy connected to her father at all.” Russ sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“I’ll walk over to the office with you,” Nick said, “if Tori is coming in this morning.”
“I think she is. Maybe she’ll be willing to keep an eye on Angel while I run over to the sheriff’s office, too.”
“Good plan.” Nick nodded. “I’m going to have to get used to making room in our lives for a baby. What’s it like?”
Russ looked at Angel, sleeping in her carrier. “It’s wonderful. Angel is such a good baby.”
Nick chuckled. “You’ve sold me, Russ. And I’m happy for you.”
Russ was embarrassed, because he knew Nick was referring to his change of behavior. “I let my mourning take control of my life. Thanks to Angel and Isabella, I’ve recovered.”
“I know. Your mom’s face shows it.”
“Yeah,” Russ agreed with a grin.
The two men picked up Angel, paid their bill and walked over to the accounting office.
“Bill!” Russ exclaimed when he discovered the older man hard at work. “I told you you didn’t have to come back this week. After New Year’s is soon enough.”
“Morning, Nick, Russ. I know, but my wife went to work today. And you know I love my work.”
Russ smiled. “You saved my bacon the last two years, Bill. I know Tori gave you your Christmas bonus. But I have your New Year’s bonus in my office. I’ll get it.”
He excused himself and went into his office with Angel, returning a moment later with an envelope, which he handed to Bill.
“Russ, you don’t need to—”
“Yes, I do, Bill. You’ve been an incredible asset to us. I want you to know I appreciate it.” He deliberately changed the subject. “Has Tori come in?”
“She called about half an hour ago and said she’d be coming in for a while.” As he looked at his watch, the door opened and Tori entered. “A welcoming committee? Really, it isn’t necessary,” she teased the three men.
They all laughed.
Tori asked, “What’s up?”
“I need you to watch Angel for a few minutes while I visit the sheriff,” Russ said.
“No problem.”
“And can you tell me how the sale of that stock is going?” he asked. “I want Isabella’s father to know that Isabella has nothing to do with him or his company as soon as possible.”
“Me, too,” Nick added.
“Let me turn on my computer and I can tell you right away. I had a question about how much stock I had to sell. I should have a response by now.”
Leaving Angel with Bill, Nick and Russ followed her into her office. “Of course, it could be that everyone isn’t back at work, but we’ll see,” she said as she slid into her chair and turned on the computer.
Nick and Russ sat quietly as she played the keys like a concert pianist. “Here it is,” she muttered.
Russ felt tense, but a sound from Angel made him forget the other problems. He leaped to his feet and ran for his office. He found Bill already there, checking to see if she was all right.
“Thanks, Bill. She probably needs a change. I don’t think it’s feeding time yet.”
“Then I’ll let you take over. Grandpas don’t have to do diaper duty. Tori told me.”
Russ grinned. “Don’t mention that rule to Dad, okay?”
Bill laughed and retreated to his desk.
“Okay, Angel, I’m going to change your diaper now, so be a little lady, okay?” he asked. He was sure she smiled at him, but he didn’t know if that meant “yes” or “watch out.”
Once he had her changed, he carried her into Tori’s office. “Angel is joining us.”
“Good.” Tori said. “I want to hold her.” She held open her arms.
Russ gave Angel to her as he asked, “Did you find a response?”
“Yes. It gets a little complicated and I won’t do anything until I talk to Isabella, but there’s a company that wants to take over her father�
�s company. They’ll pay five dollars a share above market price if she’ll sell to them exclusively. Then they’ll do a hostile takeover. It means her father will lose his position. While most employees will keep their positions, he’s not one of them.”
“I wish I could tell you what Isabella will decide, but I can’t. I know she’s angry with her father, but…I have a fear that she’ll change her mind and go back to New York.”
“But you’re married!” Nick protested.
Russ regretted having admitted his fear. He’d worried about it, but he hadn’t told anyone. Now he’d told both Tori and Nick. He looked at Tori. Her eyes were serious as she said, “I think I should call her. Are she and Sarah shopping?”
“Yeah. If you’ll watch Angel, I’ll run over there and find them. It won’t take a minute.”
“Sure thing,” Tori said.
“I’ll go with you,” Nick said. “I miss Sarah.”
Tori laughed at what she considered his silliness, but Russ knew what he meant. He hated being without Isabella and Angel, too.
SARAH CALLED through the closed curtains, “I found a blue sweater that would go well with the denim jumper, Izzy. Want to try it?”
Isabella stepped out from behind the curtain, wearing a plaid flannel shirt with the jumper. “I like this combination. What do you think?”
“Oh, it looks good.”
“I love the big pockets. I can use my hands for Angel but carry other things in my pockets. And it’s so comfortable.”
“You’re right. And then you change the shirt and it looks like a new outfit.”
“Good point. Show me the sweater.” Sarah held up the sweater, a thin silk.
“Ooh, very nice.”
“Yes. Did you want a denim skirt? It goes with all the blouses and tops you’ve put aside.”
“Yes. A size ten. I don’t think I need to try it on.”
“Probably not. Oh, I bet you need socks. I’ll go— Oh! There’s Nick and Russ. I think they’re coming in.”
“Maybe Angel is causing problems,” Isabella guessed, and started toward them.
The men called a greeting and Russ noted Isabella’s anxious expression.
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